Spring Training Games Begin

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

We had another great crowd for Trivia Night on Tuesday, with 21 teams taking part. We had strong numbers for Current Events and The Q Train, which was "Robert DeNiro Films Trivia," where everyone had to guess which films he appeared in out of 10 listed. I got some good feedback on that type of category and it will be back for more appearances.

The numbers on Space Flight Trivia weren't bad, but weren't outstanding. It was a close competition all night, and coming down the home stretch we had seven teams bunched up withing three points. But the team of Table One Cheats would up winning by one point, as they nailed 4 of the 5 questions in IQ Trivia correct. Last week's champs, Up-Down-Up-Down staged a late rally and ran the table in the final round and missed by just a single point.

Congratulations to this week's winners (and I must say in defense of my friends Table One: they don't cheat. Or as they wrote on one sheet that if they cheated they'd win nearly every week).

Current Events1. It was announced last week that this sitcom star will host the Emmy Awards on September 20th, after he hosted the Tony Awards earlier this year.2. Grand Central Publishing announced that it will be issuing just 1,000 leather-bound, signed copies of this man's forthcoming autobiography, at $1,000 per copy.3. A Caspian Airlines jet that originated in this country and was heading for Armenia, crashed shortly after takeoff last Wednesday, killing all 168 people on board.4. Zac Sunderland, a 17-year-old American, became the youngest person to do this alone last Thursday, which took him 13 months to complete.5. A Madonna concert was canceled in this European city last Thursday,when the stage collapsed while it was being constructed, killing two people and injuring eight.6. Nine people were killed in this Asian country on July 17th when two bombs exploded at the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in the nation's capital.7. These two legendary college football teams will meet next year for the first football game to be played in the new Yankee Stadium.

Space Flight Trivia1. Which Apollo flight number was the final one sent to the Moon in 1972?2. Who was the first American to orbit the Earth, in 1962?3. What were the first living creatures the US ever sent into space, in 1958?4. What was astronaut Harrison Schmitt's claim to fame in 1972?5. What year did the Challenger spacecraft explode shortly after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts on board?6. Which space program did the US launch following the completion of the Apollo program in 1973?7. What country was the first to launch a man-made object that orbited the Earth in 1957?

Answers: 1. Apollo 17; 2. John Glenn; 3. mice; 4. He was the 12th and final man to step foot on the Moon; 5. 1986; 6. Skylab; 7. USSR.

General Knowledge1. Former Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle represented what state in the Senate?2. In the US, premier caviar comes from what kind of fish?3. Hungarian cuisine is known for its heavy use of what spice?4. How many units does an album have to sell in the UK in order to win a gold disc?5. What country has more lakes than all other countries combined?6. How many checkers does each player begin with in the American version of the game?7. What 1980s pop group took their name from a mad scientist in the film "Barbarella?"

IQ Trivia1. The Republic of San Marino is entirely surrounded by what country? ( 3 points)2. In 1972, the US gave what animals to China in exchange for two pandas? ( 5 points)3. What was the computer screen name of Meg Ryan's character in the 1998 film "You've Got Mail?" ( 4 points)4. What unusual fact do authors Aldous Huxley and C.S. Lewis have in common with President John F. Kennedy? ( 4 points)5. What common, everyday item was invented by Dr. Martin Cooper in 1973? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Italy; 2. musk oxen; 3. Shopgirl; 4. They all died on the same day, November 22, 1963; 5. cell phone.

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About Me

I work as a background actor in movies and TV here in New York City, and I am also a Trivia host.

I am also "Lt. Guvna of Trivial Things" of Red Sox Nation-NY. BTW, I am NOT the guy who writes that column for the New York Daily News. (He's not a Red Sox fan.) I also follow the New York Mets (NL), the Minnesota Vikings, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the New York Islanders and Liverpool FC (I was a fan long before John Henry took over), as my favorite sports teams.

I welcome all email (no spam please), especially if you'd like to exchange links or have any trivia feedback, at: jbq1462@hotmail.com.

I am looking to expand my Trivia Empire to other establishments, so if you know a place looking for a Trivia host, please drop me an email about it.